Digital cameras create a large number of files. These files can be audio files, thumbnails or full digital images. Currently these files are named based on a default name given by the camera manufacture, for example DSC00001.jpg. Most digital cameras today can store a large number of these images. After taking pictures the camera may contain a list of these files with names that start at the default name and increment upward, for example DSC00001.jpg, DSC00002.jpg, DSC00003.jpg, DSC00004.jpg etc. The sequential nature of the typical camera naming scheme is chosen such that the files are displayed in the order they were taken when the images are sorted by their file names.
Once the storage area on the camera is full the users must transfer the images to a computer or other storage device. Or the user can swap in an empty storage device if the camera has removable storage, for example a memory stick or a floppy disk. When all the images have been removed or an empty removable storage device is inserted into the camera, the name of the next image captured may be reset to start at the default name (i.e. DSC00001.jpg). Other cameras only reset to the default name when a “rollover” of the naming scheme occurs, for example after the DSC99999.jpg image is saved.
When the user transfers the image files to a computer, the files are stored typically at one level or in one folder that contains all the user's images. When the user moves the new images to the same directory the file names may be duplicates of file names saved previously. The new images with duplicate names may be caused by the camera resetting the names to the default starting name, or by using multiple cameras having the same naming scheme, or by a “rollover” of the naming scheme in a single camera. Transferring images with duplicate names can cause problems such as overwriting previously saved images that the user may wish to keep.
Some cameras allow the user to rename the file but with the limited user interface available on most digital cameras, renaming the file is difficult and time consuming.
Today when the Windows Operating System™ is used to move files, commonly named files are detected but the user is only given the option of overwriting the file at the destination location or canceling the transfer.
There is a need for a system that can automatically rename the files when duplicated file names are detected.